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APPARATUS FOR DRYING GRAIN.

No. 255,371; a Patented 113111212882.

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1 No. 255.371. Patented 1121.211882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Errea.

FREDERICK W. NVIESEBROOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR DRY-ING GRAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,371, dated March 21, 1882.

Application tiled January 24, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. WiEsE- BROCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county-and State of New York, have invented new and usefulIrnprovements in Apparatus for Drying Grain, Ste., of which the following is aspecitication. v

This invention relates to that class of graindriers iu which the grain, coffee, or other articles to be dried are agitated within a dryingcylinder and subjected to theaction of warm or hot currents of air for the purpose of carrying oft' the moisture.

The objects of my invention are to thoroughly, expeditiously, and cheaply dry the grain or other article, to remedy certain defects that have usually existed in grain-driers of this character, to provide certain novel means for automatically regulating the temperature of the air-blast that is brought into direct contact with the grain, and also to provide means for regulating the temperature of the heated air which circulates around the drying-cylinders. These objects I attain by means of the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a section taken on a vertical central plane thiough my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the devices for compressing the grain before it is discharged into the drying-cylinder; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the plane in dicated by the dotted line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the rotary cylinders and gears.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A Aindicate the rotary drying-cylinders, which are arranged one above the other within the chamber of a brick or other suitable housing, B. The rotary drying-cylinders are mounted upon the stationary hollow shafts (l, that are perforated along their under side and supported in the walls of the housing, and as a means for rotating the cylinders I provide them with ring-gears a, engaging with the gears C upon shafts C2, that have their bearings in the walls of the housing, and are driven by belt-power applied to pulleys upon their ends, which project outwardly i'rom the structure.

The grain is tirst fed from the feed-spout of a hopper, D, into the upper cylinder of the series; and in order that the grain shall pass along the said cylinder, so that it may be de livered into the next lower cylinderot' the series and then pass through the second cylinder, so as to be delivered to the next lower one, I incline the upper cylinder, and also incline its stationary axis about as shown, and to the next lower cylinder and its stationary axis give similar inclination in a reverse direction, and so on throughout the remainder of the series of cylinders, ot' which there may be as many as desired. To cectively dry the grain these cylinders will be made short, so that the moist air will readily pass out from the grain, and as the grain in drying will be reduced in bulk the cylinders can decrease in size from the upper to the lower one of the series, as shown.

The devices for guiding and delivering the grain from onerotary cylinder to theother consist of the spout-caps E, that are secured to the walls of the housing and adapted to receive the end of one cylinder and to enter the end of thel cylinder immediately below the same. By thus arranging the cylinders so that they shall necessarily inclinein reverse directions, and by locating the series of spout-caps alternately ou opposite sides of the series of cylinders at the ends ofthe latter, as shown, so that one spoutcap will constitute a passage between two cylinders, it will be seen that when a rotary motion is imparted to the cylinders and the grain is fed from the hopper into the upper one of the series it will pass successively through all oftheeyliuders,andlinallypassoutthrou'gh the spout-cap E, connecting with the lower end of the inclined drying-cylinder at the bottom of the series. These cylinders have at their upper receiving ends the beveled shoulders or half-heads d, which consist each of a ring having a conical inner face applied within the cylinder, so as to prevent the grain from falling out as it is being discharged into the cylinder from the lower end of the spoutcap.

The rotary drying-cylinders are provided with the internal agitators, F, consisting of curved plates secured to the inner walls of the cylinders in lines preferably coincident with the axes of the cylinders. These agitators lift or carry up the grain to a point above the hollow axis of the cylinders, and then allow the grain IOC to drop, so that the grain, in falling, will be thoroughly exposed to the action ot' the hot air issuing from the perforations of the hollow Shafts; and in order to more eifectually subject the grain to suoli heated air l form the perforations along the under side of each hollow shaft, so that the blast will first drive the hot air toward the lower part ofthe cylinder, thereby not only causing it to impinge upon the grain in said part ot' the cylinders, but also providing for its rising to the upper part ofthe cylinders, and hence acting upon the grain, which is constantly being dropped in a shower or scattered condition from the stirreis or agitators. rIhe hollow' stationary shafts pass through these spout-caps or conveyeis, which are constructed with relation tothe rotary cylinders so that while constituting passages between the saine they will in no wise obstruct the rotation of the said dryirg-cylinders upon the stationary shalts. These spout-caps are provided at their upper portionswith the openings e for the exit of moistair, which will pass out into the compartment within which the rotary drying-cylinders are located. This air will risc through openings g, formedin a series of horizontal partitions, G, that are secured within the housing, -and will finally escape through the stack or chimney H. By this arrangement the moist air will pass out into and up through the housing without passing from one to the other of the cylinders.

In ordinary driers the temperature ofthe air is reduced as it becomes impregnated with the moisture; but by my arrangement such ob- `jectionable feature will be obviated, since an upward current of hot air from a liue at the base of the structure can be maintained, as will be presently described, and the moist air will pass into the same from the openings ein the spout-caps.

The spiral conveyer I, located in the feedspout and thelower portion of the hopper, and driven by belt or other suitable power, serves to feed the grain from the latter to the upper rotary drying-cylinder. If the grain or other article to be dried is very wet, it will frequently' be found desirable to express some of the moisture before discharging the grain into the drying-cylinder. To accomplish this I arrange upon the shaft of the rotary conveyor a slidevalve, I', which will be normally held against the discharge end of the feed spout or cylinder of the hopper by means of a spool or other equivalent spring, i, that is located within and sustained by a frame, I2, detachably secured to the said feed-spout. Hence as the grain is forced against this spring-valve by the action ofthe conveyor the grain will be compacted, so as to express a portion ofthe water, which will pass through the pert'orations i2 of the feedspout into asurroundingjacket, K, and from thence be drawn ott' by the drip-pipe K. As the grain is compressed and torced against the springvalve the latter will open against the spring-pressure, so as to allow the grain to discharge into the drying-cylinder, the grain being, however, subjected to a continuous pressure until it is discharged from between the valve and the end of the spiral conveyor. The frame is screwed or otherwise conveniently detachably secured upon the feed-spout, wherehy when it is not necessary to compress the grain before passing it into the drying-cylinder the fraaie and spring-valve can be readily removed.

The horizontal partition-plates G, that are arranged within the brick housing and secured to the walls thereof, are each provided with a central slot or opening extending the length of the rotary cylinder. These openings not only admit ofthe upward passage ofthe moist air from. the drying-cylinders, but also allow the passage of the hot air and gases arising from the llue L of a furnace that will be conveniently' arranged atthe base of the structure. By this arrangement of slotted partitions the hot air and gases from the furnace-flue will pass upward and circulate around the dryingcylinders, thereby efectually heating the saine, Stich gases, however, not coming in contact with the grain which is within and passing between the drying-cylinders. In order to regulate the temperature within the chamber inclosing the drying-cylinders, I provide a series of valves, M, in the wall ot' the housing, so that a supply of cool external air can be admitted whenever desired; and to enable the attendant to ascertain the temperature within said chamber I provide thermometers M', which extend through the walls of the housing, one valve and thermometer heilig preferably provided for each space between the partitions.

When the air-blast that enters the dryingcylinders through the perforated hollow shafts is heated by means of afurnace instead of by steam, I provide an automatic heat-regulator, N, which consists of a copper or other metal cap or casing, u, arranged at the upper portion ofthe hot-air-blast pipe O, with which the hollow shafts that pass through the drying cylinders are connected. This cap or casing is provided with a flexible diaphragm, n', to which is connected one end of apivoted lever, P, by means of a suitable rod or link. The remaining end of this pivoted lever is connected with the stem of a hollow valve,p, arranged within a cold-air pipe, Q, that is connected by a pipe, D', with the hot-air-blast pipe 0. When the blast is too hot and the air within the casing n becomes heated to a certain degree it will expand suciently to expand the flexible diaphragm, and hence swing the pivoted lever, which will in turn lower the hollow valve, and thereby bring a slot, g, in said valve coincident with the brauch pipe q of the cold-air pipe, thus allowing the cold air to dow through said valve and pipe, and from the latter into the hot-blast pipe, and thus to mingle with the hot air, thus-reducing the temperature of the saine to the required degree. Theva-lve will then automatically close, so as to shut oft' the supply of cold air. The valve can be adjusted upon its stem to suit the deico IOS

IIO

gree ofV temperature required, and as the cold air is both above and below said valve it will work freely.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with the rotary inclinedv cylinder, of the spiral conveyer located `within the feed-spout to discharge the grain into the said cylinder, and the spring-valve detachably connected with the feed-spout and adapted to act, in conjunction with the spiral conveyer, to express the moisture from the grain bet'ore the latter has entered thedrying-cylinder,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the rotary dryingcylinder', of the hopper, the spiral conveyer located within a perforated feed-tube leading from thehopper and entering therotary dryingcylinder, the spring-valve detachably applied to the shaft of the conveyerin position to normally close the discharge end of the perforated feed-spout, and the jacket surrounding the feed-spout, and provided with a drip-pipe, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the rotary dryingcylinders mounted upon hollow perforated shafts, of the hot -blast pipe connected with the said hollow shafts, the regulator located in said pipe, and adapted to expand bythe action of heat, and the valve connected with said regulator, and so located as to automatically open communication between a cold-air pipe and the hot-air pipe, or to close the same, substantially as described.

5. The con1bination,with the rotary dryingcylinders mounted upon hollow perforated shafts, of the hot-blast pipe connected with said hollow shafts, the cold-air pipe connected with the hot-blast pipe, the valve for automatically opening communication between these two pipes, and the regulator connected with the hot-blast pipe, and consisting of a metal casing having a iiexibe diaphragm connected with a pivoted lever that acts to open or close the aforesaid valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK 'W. WIESEBROCK.

Witnesses: n l

i CHAs. G. WILLING, ALFRED FERRETT. 

